Plastic inserts for hypodermic syringe packages



May 19, 1959 7. A. H. HuTcHlsoN 2,887,215 PLASTIC INSERTS FOR-HYPODERMIC SYRINGE: PACKAGES Fired Nov. 29, 1955 2 sheets-sheet 1 lzweafaa: Hleaznler Hawjy Huclsoza,

y www United States Patent O FOR HYPODERL'IIC SYRINGE PACKAGES j Application November 29, 195s, serial No. `549,641

" rnAs'rrc iNsERrs y 4claims. (crans-11.5)

The present invention relates to plastic inserts for use in` packaging hypodermic syringes and the like.

One of the problems with which manufacturers of glass hypodermicj syringes have to contend is breakage in transit. The usual practice is to support the assembled syringes in their boxes by cardboard inserts which hold them securely with" their plungers partly retracted.

The principal objective of this invention is to provide inserts in theiform of thin and resilient walled plastic shells affording effective means for cushioning the packaged syringes against shocks, and for attractively displaying` them when the packages are open. This objective is attained by means of plastic shells, each provided with parallel ridges having faces spaced and disposed to receive and yieldably engage a syringe barrel seated therebetween, ridge disposed at right angles to the rst named ridges to underlie the neck of the plunger of the syringe to oppose movement of the plunger relative to its barrel, and a ridge connecting web. Each shell is dimensioned to iit snugly into its` box with portions serving to support it therein and a portion of its web is located above these supports for engagement by the barrel.

Other objectives of the invention are to provide for the holding of a barrel against movement lengthwise of the confining ridges as by the formation of flange receiving recesses therein, and the adaptation of such shells to the support of a plurality of syringes as well as for use with those individually packaged, and also to the support of the syringes in tiers in a container.

In the accompanying drawings, there are shown illustrative embodiments of the invention from which these and other of its objectives, novel features, and advantages will be readily apparent.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a plastic insert, in accordance with the invention, within an indicated box and supporting a hypodermic syringe.

Figs. 2 and 3 are sections along the indicated lines 2 2 and 3 3, respectively, of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of another embodiment of the invention illustrating the support of a plurality of hypodermic syringes, and

Figs. 5 and 6 are sections taken along the indicated lines 5--5 and 6-6 of Fig. 4, respectively.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated by Figs. 13, the plastic insert comprises the shell, generally indicated at 10, dimensioned to so t the indicated box 11 for the hypodermic syringe 12 as to be frictionally caught therein. The shell is formed to provide aweb 13 and a pair of parallel ridges 14 spaced and arranged so that their inner faces engage the sides of the box 11 and their inner faces are yieldably urged apart as a syringe barrel 15 is entered therebetween as shown in Fig. 1. The ridges 14 terminate short of the transverse ridge 16 for engagement by the barrel tiange 17.

The ridge 16 is spaced from the proximate end of the shell a distance greater than the thickness of the head 18 of the syringe plunger 19 and has a notch 20. While the notch 20 may serve to support the plunger 19, its primary function is to underlie the plunger neck 21 to prevent appreciable movement of the plunger relative to its barrel. Between the ridges 14, the web 13 is spaced, as at 22, for cushioning engagement by the barrel 15, above portions of the shell 10 engaging the bottom of the box 11. A plastic shell as thus described, is both frictionally caught at its box and frictionally holds and cushions its hypodermic syringe. Preferably, the ridge 16 is so spaced from the proximate ends of the ridges 14 so as to enable the syringe to be packaged with its plunger partly retracted.

With reference to the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 4-6, the generally indicated plastic insert 23 is shown as comprising a thin and resilient walled) shell having end ridges 24, a plurality of intermediate ridges 25 and a web, marginal portions of which are indicated at 26.` The ridges 24 and 25 provide a plurality of pairs of yieldable faces resiliently engageable with approximately opposite portions of a syringe barrel 15 and are `formed with recesses 27 torreceive and engage its flange 17. Conveniently, the upper portions of these proximate faces are inclined upwardly and away from each other to facilitate entry of the syringe therebetween. The ridges 24 and 25 are also inclined downwardly towards the transverse ridges 28 and 29 to facilitate the manual engagement and removal of the packaged syringes. The ridges 28 and 29 define a channel 30 for confining the heads of the syringe plungers 19. The ridge 28 is inclined downwardly away from the ridge 29 and is dimensioned to underlie the plunger necks Z1.

It will be noted that between each pair of ridges 24 and 25, the web has a portion 31 in the zone to be occupied by the barrel flange 17, a raised portion 32 engageable by the barrel 15, and a further raised portion 33 providing a shoulder 34 which the syringe tip 35 overlies. The portions 32 and 33 are spaced above the marginal web portions 26.

While the marginal web stock 26 may comprise the supporting means when an insert 23 is placed in an appropriately sized box, it may also provide means for attaching thereto a base sheet 36 as by means of opposed channels 37, marginal bonding indicated at 38, or both. The use of an insert 23 provided with a base 36 is indicated particularly when tiers of hypodermic syringes are to be packaged in a container.

In practice, such plastics as polyethylene or polystyrene are used in the production of inserts in accordance with the invention as these enable the shells to be made that are self-sustaining, thin-walled for purposes of economy in production, and have the flexibility and resilience necessary to render the shells effective for properly cushioning packaged hypodermic syringes.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that plastic inserts in accordance with the invention are well adapted to meet the requirements of packaging hypodermic syringes for safe transit.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a hypodermic syringe package, a syringe barrel provided with a flange at one end, a plunger in said barrel and provided with a anged head, and a shell of resilient plastic stock including parallel ridges and an interconnecting web dening an upwardly opening channel of U-shaped section yieldably receiving said barrel with the side and bottom walls of said channel in engagement with approximately the entire length of said barrel in circumferentially spaced zones, said shell also including integral marginal supporting portions extending below the bottom of said channel, and a ridge extending transversely of said channel and spaced from corresponding ends of said parallel ridges underlying and supporting said plunger and providing a stop engaged by the head thereof, thereby preventing the plunger from bottoming in said barrel.

2. In a hypoderrnic syringe package, a syringe barrel provided with a flange at one end, a plunger in said barrel and provided with a flanged head, and a shell of resilient plastic stock including parallel ridges and an interconnecting web defining an upwardly opening channel of U-shaped section yieldably receiving said barrel with the side and bottom walls of said channel in engagement with approximately the entire length of said barrel in circumferentially spaced zones, said shell also including integral marginal supporting portions extending below the bottom of said channel, and a pair of parallel ridges extending transversely of said channel and spaced from corresponding ends of said iirst named parallel ridges to dene a groove to receive said plunger head, one of said groove defining ridges then underlying and supporting a portion of said plunger, thereby preventing the plungers from bottoming in said barrels.

3. ln a hypodermic syringe package, a syringe barrel provided with a ange at one end, a plunger in said barrel and provided with a anged head, and a shell of resilient plastic stock including ridges and an interconnecting web defining an upwardly opening channel of U-shaped section yieldably receiving said barrel with the side and bottom walls of said channel in engagement with approximately the entire length of said barrel in circumferentially spaced Zones, each of said ridges having a flange recess transversely alined with that of the other ridge, said shell also including integral marginal supporting portions eX- tending below said web and a pair of parallel ridges extending transversely of said channel and spaced from the recessed ends of said first named parallel ridges defining a groove receiving said plunger head, one of said groove 4defining ridges to then underlie and supporta portion of said plunger, said channel and said recesses being so spaced that the distal end of said plunger is spaced rearwardly of the distal end of said barrel.

4. In a hypodermic syringe package, a syringe barrel provided with a ange at one end, a plunger in said barrel and provided with a flanged head, and a shelly ofresilient plastic stock including ridges and an interconnecting web defining an upwardly opening channel of Ll-shaped section yieldably receiving said barrel with` the side'lan'd bottom walls of said channel in engagement with approximately the entire length of said barrel in circumferntially spaced zones, each of said ridges having a ange 'recess transversely alined with that of the other ridge, said shell also including integral marginal supporting portions extending `below said web and a ridge extending transversely of said channel and spaced from corresponding ends of the channelvforming ridges to so underlie-and support said plunger such as to provide a stop engageable by the head thereof, and a sheet `bonded to said supporting portions in a plane Aparallel to the axis of said barrel and plunger,

References Cited in the file of patent UNITED STATES PATENTS i 'A Kraft 1---- Nov. 14, i922 

